The Muppet Movie (1979)
Feb 2, 2001Muppet Movie
The first and best of the Muppet films where Jim Henson spins them off onto the big screen with charm and sly humour
Frank Oz
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Apr 4, 2001Space Opera
George Lucas’s first sequel to Star Wars and a work that holds up every bit as well as its predecessor, in many places betters it. The story darkens the mythos and introduces new characters, while the special effects sequences are the peak of the series
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Oct 16, 2013Modern Werewolf
John Landis brings the werewolf film into the modern era with this revisionist work where a modern character is forced to confront it as real, while depicting the transformation with an arsenal of top-drawer effects.
The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
Dec 6, 2002Muppet Movie
The second of the Muppet films made when Jim Henson was alive and one of the best, this bubbles with a double level of sly grown-up humour that many of the later post Henson entries miss
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Mar 21, 2001Space Opera
A disappointing end to George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy. The script lazily wraps up loose ends while sidelining the new characters introduced the last time, and the climax rehashes the climaxes of the two other films
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Feb 27, 2003Muppet Movie
The third Muppets film, the last Jim Henson would be involved with, this shows them putting on a Broadway show
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Dec 24, 2002Muppet Movie
Another of the desultory 90s Muppet films, which fits them into a retelling of Treasure Island. Missing is the humour and creativity from back when Jim Henson was alive.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Jun 6, 1999Space Opera
George Lucas's return to the Star Wars series after a sixteen year absence and a build-up rivaled only by the Second Coming. Instead most audiences went away disappointed. Lucas has used the interim to push the technology to its heights but the story and characters are lacking
Muppets from Space (1999)
Jul 17, 1999Muppet Movie
The third and one of the better of the generally insipid Muppet movies produced following Jim Henson's death. This tells the story of Gonzo's origins as an alien where the film borrows spoofs the then-popularity of tv's The X Files
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)
Jun 1, 2004Children's Film/Small Furry Creature's Adventures
A rather slight film spinoff red-furred Elmo, the popular character from Sesame Street. A film designed for very young children.
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Nov 4, 2001Pixar Animation/Monsters in the Closet
This was the fourth animated film from Pixar and is a winning and delightful Maurice Sendakian tale about the monsters in the closet and their friendship with a young girl
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Jun 20, 2002Space Opera
The second of George Lucas’s Stars Wars prequels is no particular improvement. The romance is stiff and awkward, badly written while the effects sequences seem to be running out of new things to do and so just up the scale of what has happened before with so much going on it reaches a point of visual overload
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
May 22, 2005Space Opera
The last of George Lucas's Star Wars prequel trilogy and the last opportunity for him to get it right, which he generally does. The effects are expert but are not allowed to dominate as much as they did previously and the focus has come back onto the story and Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader
Monsters University (2013)
Jun 21, 2013Pixar Animation/Monsters in the Closet
Pixar's creative decline has been the point they started making these sequels to their hits. This is a disappointing prequel to Monsters, Inc. that largely recycles the cliches of the Revenge of the Nerds films and seems lacking in any of the wacky humour or moments of cuteness we expect of a Pixar film
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
Mar 17, 2018Space Opera
I'm not one of the haters on this. It's the first Star Wars sequel since the 1980s to invigorate the series with fresh action sequences and place more focus on the characters instead of the action